Biographical Data :

Name :

Radia Nasraoui

Period :

1953 -

Biographical detail :

Human rights activist.

Mrs Nasraouiís daily struggle has been fending off harassment at the cost of her own well-being, for more than a decade. The human rights lawyer has fought relentlessly against torture, arbitrary arrests and unfair imprisonment in Tunisia.

Her dedication has won her admirers throughout the Arab world and beyond. When she went on hunger strike for 38 days in the summer of 2002 to press the regime into releasing her husband, a leftist activist, support poured in. A group sang for in Australia; a solidarity campaign was organised in Canada. Arab lawyers mobilised. Hamma Hammami, her husband, was released, a month after she ended her strike.

Rarely has a human rights lawyer in the region been willing to sacrifice as much as Mrs Nasraoui. Indeed, some criticise her for being too aggressive and radical in her expectations for change. Victories however little, encourage her to go on.